How to Become An Angel by Jean Barbe.
[indent][i]"The story of a journalist named François whose encounters with a reluctant guru, Victor Lazarre, haunt him throughout his life, the novel is a timeless spiritual journey beautifully translated by Patricia Wright.
Lazarre, who is a man of pure goodness, is an enigmatic character whose power to heal others by listening to their troubles spawns a cult following that François finds disturbing. Determined to stick a pin into Victor’s messiah bubble, François’s journalistic instincts drive him to knock the guru off the pedestal his followers have put him on. But then one morning, in Mexico, François becomes Victor’s evangelist. He feels compelled to write down the maharishi’s story after Victor astounds him by flying away before his very eyes.
Two stories in one: François also narrates the trials and tribulations of his two roommates, Provencal and Fred. In a chronicle about their evolution as friends, François exposes their passions, fears, successes, shattered dreams… all the while the angelic Victor Lazarre haunts the periphery of their lives.
A compelling novel, I was drawn in by the crisp, intelligent prose and intrigued by the gentle but mysterious Lazarre. “For several minutes I watched his arabesques, his curves and his spirals, prey to a strange and irrepressible sentiment mixed with envy and gratitude,” François describes. “To me, the world seemed to be a better place due to the existence of a being such as Victor. As a result, my own self seemed like an awkward sketch with exaggerated features that the impatient hand of a theoretical god had torn from the pad before crumpling it up and tossing it on the floor.”[/i][/indent] [align=right]-From there.[/align]
It’s not a religion-ey book thought. Not even a inspirational one. As a matter of fact it’s pretty dark. And it’s really really good.
